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Saturday, December 31, 2016

Another year is coming to an and it's only right to say a few words about it. My year as a blogger has been extremely eventful despite the fact that I took a few months hiatus in the beginning of 2016 because of pregnancy. Luckily, it resulted in an incredibly happy-go-lucky baby so I can easily find time for my blog even with Baby M around.

Year 2016 also brought along collaborations with a few new brands. I'm excited that Slovenian market is becoming more and more open for foreign brands, but I'm even more excited to try out new Slovenian products. Regardless of these collaborations I still want to say that I purchase around 90 % of things you see on my blog with my own money. I was always open and upfront about which products I received to review and by now you surely know that I can be a harsh critic.

In the past year, Slovenian bloggers came together for different events, the piece de resistance being the Beautiful Bloggers Meetup. I thoroughly enjoyed this years' events because many of the bloggers have become true friends to be, so I am not only getting new knowledge but plenty of laughter from these events.

Last but not least, I was able to finally show you my face this year. Personally, I find this decision liberating and I'll be able to blog with even more enthusiasm from now on, while I also believe that you'll find the posts more informative and better.

Thank you for sharing this year with me. Thank you for all the nice comments, wishes, for every time you asked my opinion on something, for every click and every like. Thank you for being part of the Low Maintenance Beauty family and I hope that we'll continue our journey together in 2017! Have a great New Year's Eve and a wonderful new year. Don't forget - today's secret word was the last of the bunch so you can now go through all Blogmas posts, send me the hidden thought and by that participate in the giveaway. For more instructions go to Blogmas #7. Until next time, stay beautiful!

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Opportunities for Slovenian beauty bloggers to connect in an informal way are rare, but this December we once again joined forces and organized a Secret Santa. Or better said, since we are all girls, Secret Clara. This year I again took on the role of organizing the whole thing which means I could not participate myself, but I enjoyed watching gifts other received and I was happy with them.

We set no limits or boundaries regarding the gifts - the girls can give whatever they want to each other, but it is important that they get to know the person they're gifting to as good as possible. That way they can really put together a gift that is pretty, useful and makes the recipient happy.

Even though organizing such a project takes quite some work, it suits my character perfectly so I enjoy doing it. I'd like to show you some of best gifts that Slovenian beauty bloggers received from their Secret Claras this year.

You only need to find the secret word today and the last one will follow on New Year's eve. Then, check the instructions on how to participate *here* and do it! Do you still remember the prize of the giveaway? It might be yours! Are you as eager as I am for the following year? Until next time, stay beautiful!

Monday, December 26, 2016

Santa stopped by our house and I must admit that I was more excited to see Baby M open his gifts than I was about opening my own. Not because my gifts wouldn't be great, but I was more happy to see him all excited, tearing the paper, playing with the ribbon and gushing over his building blocks and stuffed animals. But as I've been good all year long (or so they say), Santa also got me a few presents of my own.

The first gift was from me to myself, namely my L'Occitane advent calendar that certainly didn't disappoint. I'm stocked up on hand creams for the year and I'll also get to try some products that I haven't tried before. I'm looking forward to a new calendar next year.

I often mention Dolce&Gabbana Light Blue as my favorite perfume and I recently used up my last one. Santa must have noticed because I got a brand new perfume and the deodorant to match, which is very thoughtful of him.

Santa has obviously been paying a lot of attention to my wishes lately since he made some serious effort to bring gifts from overseas. I must say that I was really surprised by this gift - I got two cream sticks for contouring from Colourpop and I can't wait to try them out.

We've been living in our apartment for seven years now and somehow I never get around to ordering the glass for the wall in the kitchen. Santa knows that I hate it when that wall gets dirty so he brought me a gift certificate so I can choose a glass of my own choice and bring some extra color into our home.

I actually asked Santa for the last gift since my previous electric toothbrush retired after seven years. He brought me the Megasonex ultrasound toothbrush thus making sure that my teeth stay clean and healthy, for which I thank him greatly.

I must say that this Santa is really a cool guy - he knows what I need and also what will make me happy. I hope that you also received something that you wanted or needed, or that perhaps Santa surprised you as well. You know - the good men know even our most secret wishes.

Sunday, December 25, 2016

Two Blogmas in one? Yes, that's life. I planned my posts up front but quickly realized that baking a potica and entertaining a nine month old child is too stressful, and making photos and writing this post at the same time would be an impossible task to fulfill. But still - in our house, we eat potica long into January so it's never too late for a good recipe.

This recipe comes from Hungary and is a bit different because you won't be using leavened dough but potato dough. You need about an hour for preparation and 45-50 minutes for baking. The amount of ingredients in this recipe is intended for two portions, because I prepared walnut potica and a potica with poppy seeds. If you only want to prepare one just cut the ingredients in half. This dough is also very good with cheese fillings and can be used for dumplings and similar dishes.

Peel and cut the potatoes, cook them and mash them really well. Add butter, egg yolks, baking powder and sugar. Mix well and start adding flour and making dough. This dough is quite crumbly so it's important to add the flour slowly. After kneading the dough well, separate it into four pieces (or two, if you have an enormously big oven).

When rolling the potica, I suggest you use a baking paper so you don't need to touch the dough much as it tends to fall apart. Don't put the filling on the top and the bottom of the dough, but rather in the middle. After you're done rolling, you can put a bit of the filling at both ends and tuck them in. Spread some egg white on top. Now, your potica can go straight into the oven. Bake at 190' C for 45-50 minutes.

And this is the final result. This kind of potica is a bit different but a big hit in our home since my grandmother used to make it following this recipe. It's not too sweet and the walnuts or poppy seeds add a bit of bitterness so I can guarantee you it's really awesome.

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

As I have learned in
my 32 years on earth, December parties are fun! Sometimes they are too much
fun, to be quite honest. For me, this has been the case, especially in the past
few years when my general alcohol intake is quite small during the year and consequently,
I lack the stamina, for a lack of a better word. This means that my December
mornings are often plagued with hangover and since nobody likes that, here are
a few tips on how to help your body recover.

There are a couple of
things you can do the night before. That kebab at 3 a.m. won’t help you cure a
looming hangover, but anything you eat before you have your drinks will – so
make sure not to drink on an empty stomach! Also, try to remember the 1-1 (or
better yet, 1-2) rule: for each unit of alcohol, you have to have a unit of water,
or even better, two units. While this
might up the number of your toilet breaks, you’ll thank me in the morning. I
always remember to drink half of liter of water directly before bed as well.

But if you still wake
up with a hangover, make sure to drink plenty of fluids. No, not alcohol!
Sugary drinks won’t do you much good, either. Try to reach for water or tea.
Have a small coffee if you’re used to it, but it will make you even more
dehydrated so if you’re not an avid coffee drinker, stay away if you can. Some
say that sports drinks will help your electrolyte imbalance, but from my
experience, they didn’t help any better than plain water.

Next, eat something,
even if you don’t feel like it. Even if your mind is craving things like fried
eggs and chocolate, go for something that will bring your blood sugar levels
back up, such as crackers, toast or a light cheese and veggie sandwich. I would
strongly suggest a shower. It will do nothing to wash away the alcohol from
your bloodstream, but it will help you feel better. If the weather is normal, I
would also suggest a brisk walk around the block to get some fresh air into
your system.

If you have a pounding
headache, you have two options. You can wait it out, which can take up to 12
hours, or take a pill which will have an almost instant effect. Remember to
follow the instructions of the pharmacist while doing so and also keep in mind
that your liver is already working overtime and want some rest, so don’t pop those pills like Tic
Tac’s because you’ll burden them even more.

Last but not least,
give your body time to recover. Depending on your age, that’s anywhere from a
day to five days for full recovery ofthe entire system, but since this is the season to be jolly, at least
try to skip one night of drinking. If you’ve got the option to sleep it out,
take it! Rest is one of the things that your body needs in order to start
functioning properly once again.

Hopefully, you’re
reading this before you actually need it. I’m not encouraging drinking in any
way, but if you’re an adult, nothing or nobody can stop you from doing it and
the least I can do is give you a few pointers on how to survive during the mad
month of December, right? I’m once again reminding you of the secret word for
my holiday giveaway (for the prize and rules, click *here*), since the prize is
really awesome and I’d hate for you to miss out. Until next time, stay
beautiful!

Monday, December 19, 2016

I must admit I'm a complete sucker when it comes to Christmas music. When at work, I start listening to my YouTube playlist sometime in mid November and don't stop until mid January. Sometimes, I'll even annoy my coworkers with it - all for a bit of Christmas spirit.

This year I'm spending more time in my car since baby M and I are doing some light shopping each day and I love playing the Christmas tunes out loud to him while singing along. I'm sure he doesn't get the whole X-mas thing just yet, but better start early, right?

Anyway, today I wanted to share with you my top 5 Christmas songs that I could listen to all year long. Maybe use them as a background while you're creating a holiday manicure, baking cookies or simply relax, close your eyes and drift along. The choice is yours.

You didn't forget about the giveaway, right? Today's word is the 10th in a row so you already have more than two thirds of all words you'll need to participate in the giveaway. The rules and everything you need to know are *here* and the prize is pretty sweet, if I can say so myself.

Saturday, December 17, 2016

I always loved buying
gifts for children but looking back, I didn’t always make the best choices. I’m
sure the kids were happy, but the parents probably less so – think sticky
things, loud things and presents that include glitter. Now that baby M is about
to turn 9 months old (where did the time go?) and is about to celebrate his
first Christmas, I’ve become much more picky.

Today, I’m only
showing you things he’s getting from us – if you’d like to see other presents
he receives, let me know in the comments below. Since he’s my parents’ first
grandchild and my mum has been waiting for him for so long, I’m sure that they
won’t be holding back (she’s shown lack of restraint in the past nine months,
and that’s saying it kindly) and the gifts he receives from them will be much
more abundant. That’s also one of the reasons I was trying to hold back and little M. doesn't exactly express his wishes just yet.

The first gift that is
his main gift this year is the Tiny Tot Balance Bike & Tricycle. I bought
this at Mali Zakladi online store. I love it because it transforms from a
tricycle into a balance bike very simply so it’s a 2in1 product. I also like the
design and they have a bunch of accessories to go along with it (think helmets,
baskets etc.) He’ll have to wait a few months to really start using it but I’m
sure he’ll do great.

Until then, he has
this gizmo to tie him over. This is a 2-1 walker and ride car which also shoots
balls out of it, but we’ll try to keep that particular feature from baby M ;)
He’ll be able to use this indoors if he wants to go for a little spin. By the
way, he’s already standing up quite a lot and trying to walk along different
furniture, so I’m sure it will help with his walking as well. And I’ll need a
darker color to cover my graying hair ;)

Next is his rucksack.
He’ll be starting kindergarten in March and as much as I’m not really looking
forward to that, I want to make sure that he looks dashing on his first day of
“school”. I love this Nici rucksack and I’m sure he will, too.

He chose this owl a few
months ago at a children’s store and I bought it and hid it from him. He’s not
that into stuffed animals so I buy them for him if he shows interest. I must
admit, it’s pretty cute.

He’ll also be getting
a box of soft building blocks. I can’t wait until I can start buying him proper
Duplo and Lego blocks (and play with them myself all day long) but until then,
we’ll be playing with these. He loves to stack things and then pull them down
so I’m sure these will be a big hit.

As you’re reading
this, my hubby and I are on a small getaway. Yes, just the two of us – it’s our
10th anniversary in a few weeks and since we really can’t go on a
long trip with baby M yet, we’re taking a long weekend off to really enjoy each
other’s company. That being said, I have no doubt in my mind that on our trip
we’ll be adding a few more gifts for baby M to the stash. If you’re a parent,
you’ll understand.

What are you getting
your children, nephews, nieces, children of your friends for Christmas? I’d
love to hear some ideas – maybe I can jot them down for years to come! Until
next time, stay beautiful (and don’t forget to find today’s secret word)!